


set my heart on fire like gasoline

by honeyandcream



Category: GOT7
Genre: ... - Freeform, M/M, bonnie and clyde au, bonnie and clyde jjp, i'm so humiliated, it's a cowboy au.., jjgyeom, sheriff yugyeom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2019-11-28 16:36:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18210842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeyandcream/pseuds/honeyandcream
Summary: surviving the wild west isn't a walk in the park, so it can't be surprising that Jinyoung and Jaebum turned to a life of crime. I mean, it's basically just them handling karma, like weird vigilante cowboys. But what is surprising is when they get spotted robbing a bank and take a sheriff hostage, sort of. Most surprising, though, is that they don't want him to go.(also known as a jjgyeom cowboy au)





	1. one; the silence is ringing

 

The clang of the bank alarm sets chills racing down Jinyoung’s back. No matter how many times he pulled this same stunt, it never failed to get him going. Not in a weird way, though. He pulled the brim of his hat lower and increased the speed at which he shoved paper bills into the sack he brought with him. He needed to hurry, because Jaebum was waiting, and had threatened to ‘leave his sorry ass’ a few too many times to believe that it was completely outside the realm of possibility. He shoved in a few more stacks before turning and running, narrowly avoiding the sheriff barreling towards him as he turned a corner. Dashing out, he sighed. He was going to get so much shit for this. 

Especially, he thought to himself, because Jaebum was sitting out this one with the horses. The two of them got their ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ branding from a (not totally unfortunate, in Jinyoung’s humble opinion) incident involving them robbing a bank with Jaebum in full drag, pretending to be his precious wife, not that much pretending had to be done. To Jinyoung’s amusement, Jaebum’s Bonnie label had stuck like horse shit to a shoe. The fact that he was waiting with the horses instead of doing the classic cowboy bank robber routine? The icing on the rumour cake. 

He couldn't wait to rub this one in Jaebum’s face, and in his haste to return to where Jinyoung knew he was waiting with the horses, checking for anyone trailing him slipped his mind. It wasn't until he had almost reached Jaebum that he turned, only to find three people following him. Two of them were walking together, and Jinyoung could see the glimmer on their chests miles away. They were sheriffs. The other figure was a ways ahead of them, but kept himself tucked between buildings in a way that insured he was invisible to everyone except Jinyoung.

The strange man caught Jinyoung’s eye and waved him over frantically. Under the pursuit of the sheriffs, Jinyoung doubted he had any better options. He jogged lightly towards the man, who smiled conspiratorially before he led him inside a crowded saloon. As the buzz of people shouting and the quiet jingle of the piano slowed the desperate thumping in his chest, and he paused to look at his savior. The man was very pretty up close, with wide, innocent looking eyes and full, pouty lips. But something about the way the man conducted himself seemed to rule innocence out of the equation. He pulled Jinyoung into a side room that he was previously unaware existed. 

“My name’s Jackson, and I have a proposition for you.” Jinyoung raised an eyebrow skeptically, and the stranger, Jackson, he supposed, raised one right in return. Jinyoung huffed out a breath. 

“Okay, sir, what’s your proposition?” Jinyoung tried to put as much condescension into the statement as he could without being rude outright. This just seemed to please Jackson more. 

“Well,” he drawled, “I don’t know if you’re aware, but you’re being trailed by some sheriffs. And, well, I may or may not be  _ intimately _ familiar with one of them. I could get him off your back.” He blinked up charmingly at Jinyoung. Jesus, this guy was a pro. 

“But what about the other guy?” Jackson sighed and ran his fingers through already messy dark hair. 

“Okay, you didn’t hear this from me, but the two sheriffs, Yugyeom and BamBam, they’re like best friends. If I slow down BamBam, and you can get Yugyeom alone, maybe hold him hostage or something for a few miles, there’s no way BamBam would risk Yugyeom’s life. You’d be home free.” 

“That’s a suspiciously good idea, what are you getting out of this?” 

“Give me a little bit of what you’ve stolen, I’m desperate for the money.” At this, he looked down at his shoes, seemingly ashamed. 

“My ma, she’s ill, and we can’t afford any doctor. I never want to hurt BamBam, but my mother comes first, this could be life or death for her.”  Jinyoung thought this was very noble of him. 

“How much do you need?” Jackson offered him a small, but clearly relieved smile. 

“Could you spare a hundred dollars (~1,500)?” Jinyoung returned Jackson’s smile. 

“I think that’s doable. How much time can you get us from, uh, you said his name was Bambam?” One hundred dollars was nothing, he had taken what he estimated to be almost 50 grand, but Jackson didn't need to know that. 

“I can get you at least a half hour, if not double that.” Perfect. Jackson explained his plan in more detail to divert Bambam away from the exits so he could escape with only the taller sheriff (Yugyeom?)  in pursuit. Jackson wished him luck with a wink and Jinyoung allowed his mind to wander to Jaebum while waiting for his queue. They had hardly been apart since they had met three years ago, and even now Jinyoung felt a slight twinge at being away from him. They'd met at the impressionable age of twenty, and until recently, nothing much had changed between them. But lately, there's been a tension brewing under the surface, something not easily deciphered. 

Jinyoung wouldn’t admit even at gunpoint, but he suspected that the turning point had been Jaebum turning to dresses and wigs as a means of disguise. Jinyoung would hardly hasten to mention how much the sight of Jaebum's legs in a soft looking cotton dress had affected him. He hadn’t been able to draw his eyes off Jaebum as he tugged off his blazer and his chaps before sliding into the dress and wig, both of which they had stolen from a wealthy traveler. 

Jaebum dressing as a lady had not been their original plan. However, in the midst of robbing a small store for supplies and food, they had been spotted. They couldn't leave town yet, they had nothing for sustenance. So they'd stuck around for a few days and when the manhunt hadn't ended yet, they decided they'd have to come up with a different plan. Said plan involved Jinyoung, the stealthier of the two, sneaking into the luggage of unsuspecting travellers and taking anything they could use to disguise themselves. Along the way Jinyoung had come up with an even cleverer idea: disguise Jaebum as a woman. Everyone was looking for two men, so a couple wouldn't raise any suspicion at all.

And so, he had snatched what he considered the essentials for disguising Jaebum, a dress, a wig (the most natural looking one he could find), and some rouge. He even managed to grab a pair of ladies riding shoes. When he had gotten back to Jaebum, practically glowing with the pride of his idea, Jaebum was a little less than excited, but still admitted the ingenius of the plan. But Jinyoung hadn’t considered what it would be like to see him like  _ that.  _ Because suddenly, with Jaebum’s lips and cheeks dark with rouge, and his face silhouetted with the dark wig, he wasn’t just his surprisingly-sweet companion. There was something palpable in the air that threatened to send Jinyoung reeling in ways that he wasn’t sure either of them would recover from. 

It was even worse after they had skipped town, and Jaebum no longer had to wear the disguise. He had thought the strangeness in the atmosphere would disappear when Jaebum was out of the dress, but instead it felt like it had tripled. Jinyoung would be checked out in his own head only to come back and realize his gaze had never wavered from Jaebum’s lips, and how he could see the rosiness on Jaebum’s cheeks, and  _ did he do that?  _ It had been a confusing mess since that day, and Jinyoung doesn’t know how to navigate it. That was half the reason he hit this bank alone. Jinyoung wasn’t stupid, he knew people did crazy things under stress, and he didn’t want to consider what he might admit to Jaebum in the heat of the moment. No, if this was going to work, the two of them as partners pillaging throughout the West, Jinyoung would be taking those feelings to his grave. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things will start getting exciting (and subtly homoerotic) next chapter!! sorry i was gone so long!!

He forced himself back to the present. Having a crisis over his partner wouldn’t get them out of this god-awful town free. He needed to  _ focus.  _ Jackson had said that he should wait twenty minutes before going down and finding Yugyeom, the sheriff not being seduced by Jackson. He had done as told and was now looking for a “crazy tall” man with shaggy hair, a face like a Roman statue, and a beauty mark under his right eye. 

With that in mind, he made his way out of the side room he had been residing in and out to the dining area of the saloon. Jackson needn’t have gone into the sparse amount of detail he had gone into, because Yugyeom came to him. Yugyeom was not as remarkably tall as Jackson had made him seen, but he was so,  _ so  _ much prettier. 

He had dark, intelligent eyes framed with long eyelashes. It gave him the effect of being at once very naive while also seeming very polished and dangerous. His lips were drawn into a delicate pout, and Jinyoung couldn’t help but think it made him look like a petulant prince who had been denied a particularly bratty request. Jinyoung knew by the glimmer in his eyes that Yugyeom recognized him, and felt no need to draw this out any longer than it had to be. He made tense eye-contact with Yugyeom before turning and quickly retreating via the exit. He waited with bated breath, if he was wrong, if Yugyeom didn’t follow him out now, if he waited until his partner was done, he could be signing his and Jaebum’s death certificates. It was one thing to bargain away his own life, and an entire other one to bargain away Jaebum’s. He wouldn’t let anything happen to him, he  _ couldn’t.  _

Luckily- thank god, Yugyeom followed like a dog follows his master. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, Jinyoung patted his pocket confirming he still had the extra rope he had kept with him “just in case”. He did. His chest swelled as he took a shaky breath, before he took his gun out of its holster. When his eyes rose to Yugyeom’s face again he was surprised at how young he looked. His eyes were round with shock and his mouth looked to form a perfect “o”. Jinyoung took another deep breath. 

“If you don’t let me tie you up I’ll shoot you, and then I’ll go into the saloon again and shoot your partner.” ‘Your Partner’ must have been the magic words, because Jinyoung could see the fear glinting in his eyes, and that almost stopped him dead in his tracks. People did crazy things under the influence of fear. They both held their breath as Jinyoung stepped closer, both wondering if the other would do something drastic, something dangerous. Neither did. 

As Jinyoung strode within a few steps Yugyeom offered his hands to him, as if Jinyoung was a righteous sheriff and Yugyeom was a surrendering criminal. It was a sick inversion and it twisted something in Jinyoung’s stomach. Jinyoung considered taking his hands as they were offered, but ultimately decided that the bindings would be more secure if his hands were behind his back. So he turned Yugyeom around and pulled his hands together roughly, taking a small pleasure in the way his breath hitched. After making sure the knots wouldn’t come out he tugged Yugyeom backwards towards where Jinyoung had helped Jinyoung set up camp with the horses hours before. 

God, Jaebum. Jinyoung was supposed to be back  _ hours _ ago, a routine in-and-out. He hoped Jaebum had waited there for him, hoped that he hadn’t panicked and left, or gone out searching for him. He was so lost in thought he didn’t notice Yugyeom’s distress until he sniffed loudly. He was breathing funny too, two sharp inhales and then an exhale like he was- oh. Jinyoung supposed it did make sense that the sheriff would be crying, but he still felt guilt settling solidly in his stomach. Jaebum, he was doing this for Jaebum. For both of them really. 

“Hush,” he whispered in the sheriff’s general direction, “we’re almost there and we won’t hurt you unless you struggle.” Luckily, Yugyeom’s breathing seemed to even out a bit. And so, they trekked onwards. 

Within a few minutes they had made it back to the camp, and Jinyoung got as close as he dared before yelling, “apricot?” Jaebum stepped out of where he had previously been hidden by the trees, completely ignoring Yugyeom on favor of throwing himself at Jinyoung and tucking his face into his neck. 

“I thought- I thought you weren’t coming back.” Jinyoung’s hands smoothed down his bank, rubbing soothing circles. 

“Pff- you’re gonna have to try a lot harder to get rid of me.” Jaebum’s lips curled up into a small smile before he looked to where the sheriff stood awkwardly by his side. His eyes narrowed. 

“Who’s this? Is he why you were so late?” Jinyoung grimaced. 

“I got spotted, but I got the money,” he gestured to the bag in his hand. “This, is the sheriff, Yugyeom. We’re holding him captive so his partner doesn’t attempt to pursue us. We’ll drop him off at the next town and continue on our way.” 

“You kidnapped a sheriff? Aren’t people going to follow us to try and get him back?” 

“I don’t think so. Anyone who gives a shit about him wouldn’t risk his life by pursuing us. We just have to get him to the next town, drop him off, and we’ll never see him again.” Jaebum looked conflicted. Jinyoung knew this was pushing his morals to the limit. 

For Jaebum, the bank robbing wasn’t a problem, it was very ‘Robin Hood’ of them in his opinion, and usually no one got hurt. But this, this was a hostage situation, it was different. Someone was in danger, and that someone looked like he hadn’t even hit his twenties. Jinyoung willed him to stay calm, to not show how deep in shit they actually were. 

Jinyoung’s willpower must have been stronger than he remembers because after a tense moment, Jaebum sighs and concedes. A weight Jinyoung hadn’t even noticed lifted off his shoulders. The opposite seemed true for Yugyeom, who was crouched on the ground. 

Jinyoung gave him a long hard look. Even though he was a hostage, Jinyoung didn’t want any harm to come to him. As he gave him the once over his eyes got stuck on his wrists, which were flushed an angry red. He stepped towards him with his hands slightly raised in front of him like he was approaching a wild animal. Yugyeom’s eyes jerked up to meet his, and guilt settled heavy in his stomach at the fear he could see in them. 

“Hey,” he began. “I’m not gonna hurt you, I’ll even take off your bindings if you promise to behave.” Yugyeom stared up at him warily. “I swear we won’t hurt you unless in self defense.” He made no objections so Jinyoung drew his switchblade from his pocket and got to work sawing at the bindings that keep Yugyeom’s hands in place. After a moment the ropes fell to the ground and Yugyeom very slowly brought his hands back in front of him. 

With all immediate issues taken care of Jinyoung suddenly felt the tiredness that had been kept at bay by adrenaline drop over him like a blanket. He wanted to sleep. But first- 

“Jaebummie are you sure you’re okay?” Jinyoung wasn’t stupid. He knew Jaebum had capital ‘A’ Abandonment Issues, he knew that is probably seemed like Jinyoung had just left him behind. 

Jaebum stared at him with his eyes wide and glossy, and in them Jinyoung could see the reflection of the mood. This was a  _ Moment _ , and it was broken all too soon by Jaebum turning away while they both pretended Jinyoung didn’t see him wipe desperately at his eyes. Jinyoung was suddenly reminded of the unintentional voyeur to their exchange. He offered Yugyeom a small smile. 

“Are you tired?” He nodded. “Alright Yugyeom, sorry, but we have no extra bedrolls. You’re just going to have to find a nice comfy patch of dirt.” He nods again, and Jinyoung attempts to dismiss his guilt. His mother had always said he had a weighty conscience. To distract himself he removed his bedroll from his riding pack and set it up. He had to hold his breath for a few moments when Jaebum set his up as far as reasonably possible. Ah, so he was definitely upset. 

He laid down in his bedroll and he was perhaps even more exhausted than he had thought before, because the second his head touched the bedroll he was out like a flame. 

When he awoke again it was to the sound of teeth chattering, and naturally, he first looked to his left to Jaebum, making sure he was warm within his bedroll. When he found that he was, he turned then to his right searching for Yugyeom. His eyes fell on his lanky figure silhouetted against the night sky. His chest rose and fell, and Jinyoung was not blind to the way that he trembled, nor the way his breath clouded in the dark. It was not an unusually cold night, but that was not saying much. Men with more meat on their bones than Yugyeom had fallen victim to frostbite, and Jinyoung was not particularly keen to perform an amputation. He drew himself out of his bedroll, and instantly felt guilty when he began to shiver. He had only been out in the open for a few moments, compared to the hours Yugyeom had been exposed. 

He made his way over to the younger, dread heavy over his head. Jinyoung was surprised to find that he was still asleep. He felt, somehow, that his unconsciousness was worse than any alternative. He knelt by his side, shaking him in attempt to rouse him. He remains still, except for a slight tremble and the clouds of his breath. He shook him harder and was rewarding this time with Yugyeom blinking up at him blearily. He looked a little worse for the wear and his lips were tinted slightly blue, but all things considered, this was perhaps the best he could hope for. 

“Yugyeom get up.” The younger just blinked up at him drowsily, shaking his head. “Come on! I don’t need you freezing to death out here because you were too sleepy to get up!” Jinyoung’s aggravated tone must have finally alerted Yugyeom to the urgency of the situation. He rose to his feet shakily leaning into Jinyoung slightly. 

“Whass goin’ on?” he slurred. 

“If I leave you out here without a bedroll you’re going to die, so i’m sharing mine with you.” He led Yugyeom over to where his bedroll was laid out. They managed to squeeze in, even though the fit was tight. Jinyoung let himself savor the feeling of another person lying next to him, trying to squash down the desire for it to be someone else. 


	3. chapter 3; bathe me now, wash me clean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter gets uhhh pretty homoerotic so have fun w that!! also if anyone cares I've decided once this done I'm gonna go thru and edit/polish everything

When Jinyoung awoke it was to the feeling of Yugyeom nuzzled into his neck. He  _ knew _ that Yugyeom was their hostage, but the happiness just caused by someone being  _ unarmed _ and willing to trust someone else. It was as pleasurable as it was new.  _ Jaebum _ wouldn’t let Jinyoung hold him while he slept, wouldn’t trust him like that. He was closed off, only sharing his feelings under great pressure from Jinyoung and even then, he did it with great reluctance and almost bitterness. Jinyoung wished more than anything that he had Jaebum’s unadulterated trust, that he could look at Jinyoung and see someone to confide in, someone to believe him, someone he knew wouldn’t leave. 

He had tried to coax the conversation out of him time and time again but it was like pulling a tooth. And then, just like an answer to his prayers, Yugyeom had appeared. He was open and kind and trusting even after being threatened and held hostage. He let Jinyoung hold him in his sleep. As he awoke, sleepy and plient, he only moved closer to Jinyoung. He felt a surge of affection in his chest. Why did he feel like he had gotten further with Yugyeom in a night than he had the entire time he knew Jaebum?

He blinked dazedly up at Jinyoung. “Thank you for letting me sleep with you.” Jinyoung offered him a slightly cautious smile. 

“It’s no problem, I know that you’re a hostage technically, but you’re still a person. You deserve to not freeze to death as much as I do.” Yugyeom’s face split into a heart shaped smile. Cute. That was cute. 

“So, how did a generally okay fella like yourself get into the business of crime? I’ll bet it was your partner, what’s his name? Jaebummie?” Jinyoung smiled a little despite himself. 

“Don’t call him that, his name is Jaebum. And no actually, I dragged him into this. We used to work together in the Pony Express but the pay wasn’t as good as the work warranted, so we quit. At first we just did odd jobs around random towns, but it was shitty having to live job to job, and whenever we couldn’t afford to eat or stay somewhere Jaebum would take the brunt of it. He’d starve himself so I could have a five course meal. I knew we had to make some more money before he wasted away to nothing. So we started messing around on the darker side of the law. And obviously it went well, I mean look at how soft his cheeks are now,” he gestured to where Jaebum still lay asleep, cheeks squished against his bedroll. 

“He used to be just skin and bone, he’s pretty now, but then he looked something unnatural, looked like he was sent by the damn devil himself. He had that ‘delicate and deadly’ look, with emphasis being on ‘delicate.’ He’s happier now too. Back then he was like a cornered dog, if anyone got too close he’d bite, and he’d bite hard. Nowadays I think he’s more bark than bite.”  Yugyeom looked amused. 

“God, you sure like him an awful lot.”

“Yeah, you could say that. But what about you, what got you on the good side of the law?” The corners of Yugyeom’s eyes crinkled and Jinyoung was struck again with how young he looked. “And how old are you?” This time, Yugyeom pouted. 

“I’m old enough.” At Jinyoung’s unimpressed stare he let out a giggle. “Okay, okay, I’m nineteen.” Jinyoung’s jaw dropped. He knew Yugyeom was young, but nineteen? That’s practically an infant. 

“You’re nineteen? And a sheriff?” 

“Yeah my friend Bambam, the other sheriff, he’s the reason. He wanted to impress this cute guy and he needed some money to support his mom and his siblings and he convinced me to join with him.”

“Did he impress that guy?” He gave Yugyeom a pointed stare. 

“Yeah he did, they’re a really cute couple to. His name’s Jackson he’s cute as a button and prettier than any woman in the town.” Oh. 

“I- uh- I think I met him when we were in town.” He winced.

“Why are you making that face?” 

“Well, he’s the one who came up with our plan to get out by kidnapping you. He said he needed money because his mom was ill and that he’d distract Bambam.” Jinyoung waited for the anger that he himself would surely respond with if had he gotten the same news, only to be met with an eye roll. 

“I’m hardly surprised. That kid would do anything for his mom, and I know him, he means no harm against me or Bambam.” 

“Oh I’m glad to hear that,” he was surprised to find he was telling the truth. “He seemed very sweet.” Behind them Jinyoung heard the characteristic yawns and various shuffling noises that meant Jaebum was beginning his long process of waking up. Jinyoung loved to seem him like this, at his daily moments of vulnerability. But watching Jaebum slowly blink his way into consciousness made Jinyoung all the more aware of the fairly compromising position he was in with Yugyeom. 

Though Yugyeom had pulled his face out of Jinyoung’s neck to speak to him they were still connected by the firm line of their chests, relaxed and comfortable with each other. Considering how Jinyoung was with Yugyeom last night Jaebum would probably make a big deal about the closeness. Usually, Jinyoung would say its just Jaebum making a mountain out of a molehill like he always does, but this time he can’t help but feel that maybe Jaebum would be right. He felt a buzz with Yugyeom that he hadn’t felt since he had met Jaebum, and that said a lot. 

He only hoped that Jaebum and Yugyeom got along, simply based on the feeling that both would be very important in his life, and well, he kind of wanted them to be important together. It might be selfish, but Jinyoung could imagine them in the future all living together by the sea in a quaint little cottage, or in a farmhouse, or maybe even in the city with all the buzz and excitement. He tried to squash those thoughts down. The chances of that happening were next to nothing. 

Just as Jinyoung had predicted, as soon as Jaebum was conscious enough to pull himself out of his bedroll he glanced over at the way Jinyoung and Yugyeom laid together, his face souring slightly. He sent Jinyoung a meaningful look and he obediently crawled out of the bedroll, Yugyeom following. He gestured for Yugyeom to stay where he was and made his way over to Jaebum. 

“Hey, I’m still sorry about yesterday, I couldn’t risk any sheriff following me back to you and I know it took awhile for me to get back to you, but I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you.” Jaebum continued to sulk. 

“How?”

“How what?” Jaebum pouted. 

“ _ How _ will you make it up to me?” Jinyoung smiled, even when Jaebum acted like a child he found it endearing, it must be something about the way he pursed his lips when he had something stupid to be upset about. 

“Okay, I want to bathe, and I want you to shave my face, I’m getting stubbly.” Jinyoung laughed at him, taking pleasure in the almost comical offended face he made. 

“Okay, but I’m just saying, if you learned how to shave your own face without nicking it you wouldn’t have to call in favors to get a smooth face.” Jaebum huffed. 

“I can shave my own face! I just prefer when you do it! Besides, don’t act like I’m hurting you by telling you to take a bath, God knows you need it.” Jinyoung rolled his eyes.

“Alright do you know where the river is from here?” 

“Yeah when you were kidnapping an officer of the law yesterday I did some scouting. It should be about five miles due East from here.” 

“Perfect, let’s go.” Jinyoung walked back over to where Yugyeom had stayed seated on his bedroll. 

“Hey we’re going to go to the river and bathe and shave.” Yugyeom stared at him in a way that made him wonder if he had something on his face. 

“Shave?” His fingers brushed across Jinyoung’s jaw. “I like this stubble, it suits you.” 

Jinyoung smiled. 

“It’s less about me than Jaebum. I was only supposed to be out for like an hour yesterday, instead, I was out for five. I asked what he wanted for me to make it up to him and he said he wanted a bath and a shave.” Yugyeom knitted his brows. 

“Why can’t he just shave his own face?” 

“He was orphaned young, no one ever taught him how to do it well. So basically, he  _ can _ shave his own face but he does it badly. It’s kind of become a ritual of ours, honestly.” Yugyeom pouted, but didn’t say anything. Jinyoung scooted him off the bedroll to roll it up. Once their camp had been all picked up, they  re-embarked off towards the river. 

With the horses the journey to the river only took about half of the hour. Jinyoung could have cried at the face of unadulterated joy that flashed across Jaebum’s face when he saw the river. It had been  _ so long _ since he had looked that happy. Jinyoung would do anything to keep it that way. 

As soon as Jaebum’s horse made it to where the sand met the dirt he dismounted. He ran towards the water, shedding clothes as he went. By the time he made it to the water he was stark naked and whooping joyously. Jinyoung smiled and helped Yugyeom off the horse, laughing to himself over Yugyeom being so distracted by Jaebum in the water that he nearly fell off the horse. He took the reins of his and Jaebum’s horses and tied them both to a nearby tree, taking out the shaving kit with the soap, brush, and the razor, and sitting by the side of the water. 

Jaebum had found a nice spot of the river, with water only up to about their chests and a gentle tide that was more relaxing than dangerous. Now, he swam up and down the river, resurfacing only to laugh. Jinyoung wished he could keep him like this forever. Like this, Jaebum was soft and open, like a marigold in the summer. He kept playing in the water like a child, oblivious to where Jinyoung pulled Yugyeom towards him. “I’ll do you first, you’re a lot less stubbly then he is.” Yugyeom smiled, a little smug despite it all. Jinyoung was shaving  _ him _ first. 

Jinyoung and Yugyeom sat on the bank of the stream facing each other with their legs crossed. For a moment, they almost seemed reflections of the other. The mirror was broken when Jinyoung leaned towards the water to wet the tin of shaving soap. When he leaned back Yugyeom was staring expectantly at him. Tension rose like steam as they held eye contact, Jinyoung swaying towards him and slowly bringing the foam covered brush to his face. 

Jinyoung wasn’t gentle, but he was careful. He brushed on the lather painstakingly, taking care to avoid his mouth and nose. Yugyeom thought he could fall asleep like this, with the soothing strokes of the brush, Jinyoung’s calming presence, and the sounds of the stream in the background (sans Jaebum’s splashing). He shut his eyes. How was he more content here, with these people, then he had ever been back in town? He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a blade opening. 

He opened his eyes. He was struck for a moment, by the not completely irrational idea that Jinyoung may take the razor and use it to kill him. He  _ was _ a hostage after all. Maybe all of Jinyoung’s kindness was simply an act, engineered to relax his guard, make him trust the cowboys so that they could off him more easily. The blade drew closer to his face. He held his breath. 

But when he should have felt the razor pierce skin, where he should have felt pain, there was only the gentle glide of the razor against his skin. He felt the tension melt out of his body. Aside from kidnapping as an act of desperation, Jinyoung had given no reason for Yugyeom to feel threatened by him. 

Yugyeom would be the first to admit he reflected his age somewhat poorly in the facial department. Though he was tall and broad, his face didn’t really change all too much from when he was fourteen or fifteen, facial hair included. Jinyoung shaving his face was needless, but he’d  _ also  _ be the first to admit he enjoyed it. All too soon, Jinyoung was leaning away to rinse the brush and razor in the water. 

Yugyeom stood, eyes drawn to where Jaebum was  _ still _ playing in the water. If this was his competition- not that he considered Jinyoung’s affections a contest, -he didn’t think this would be very difficult. He had always been idealistic to a fault, but he could picture himself and Jinyoung travelling across the west, perhaps robbing a few banks on the way. The sheriff lifestyle had never appealed to him especially, and he figured as long as no one got hurt the bank robberies were a non-issue. But there was still an obstacle in this plan, a problem that went by the name ‘Jaebum’. 

Said problem is currently being called over by Jinyoung for  _ his _ shave. And seeing him out of the water, Yugyeom thought perhaps this would be harder than he thought. It was true that Jaebum is not particularly tall, nor was he particularly short, but he had broad shoulders and a tiny waist a southern belle would be jealous of. In and of itself, these were already relatively damning, but it took no consideration on how  _ pretty _ he was. 

His cheeks flushed from the exertion of swimming around, eyes sparkling with happiness, droplets of water still sliding down sleek muscle, he looked right out of an erotica. Furthering the effect, he clambered onto Jinyoung’s lap, still smiling like he had never been happier. The image of the two was almost too much for Yugyeom to handle. Against Jinyoung’s broad chest and clothed muscle Jaebum seemed small and elegant, the Achilles to Jinyoung’s Patroclus. Where did that put him? Maybe he was Apollo, the one to deliver the blow that tore them apart, voyeuristic to a fault. But unlike Apollo, seeing them together like this made something dark and heavy settle in his stomach. He was drawn out of his by Jinyoung yelling to him. 

“Yugyeom! Will you get the flask wrapped in the blue cloth out of my saddle bag?” He obediently went to retrieve it, unwrapping the metal flask and bringing it over to where Jaebum was sat perched on Jinyoung’s lap. Jinyoung twisted off the lid and presented it to Jaebum. “I got you some milk while I was in town.” Jaebum’s cheeks pinked, though Yugyeom couldn’t tell you why.

He watched Jaebum’s lips close around the lip of the flask, watched as he tilted his head back, exposing the pale, unmarked expanse of his throat. He pretended he didn’t watch as a drop of milk dripped down his chin from the corner of his mouth, pretended he didn’t imagine it as something that was decidedly  _ not _ milk.  _ God _ everything felt like it was being upended upon its head. Because of what? Because the way Jinyoung had shaved his face had seemed like maybe he  _ actually _ cared about him? Because the way that Jaebum looked in the water had make Yugyeom imagine that  maybe he could  _ actually  _ end up caring about Jaebum, too? And that was scary. 

He watched as Jinyoung wet the brush again, rubbing it in a circular motion against the bar of shaving soap. Once he had managed to build up a substantial amount of foam he pulled Jaebum even closer to him. Jaebum had already been perched on Jinyoung’s lap, but before it had seemed awkward, Jaebum balancing on the end of his knees. Now they were thigh to thigh. Yugyeom couldn’t decide who he was more jealous of. 

As soon as Jinyoung began spreading the foam around on Jaebum’s face his whole body seemed to relax, as if the shaving foam had some sort of magical property that could drain the tension from his body. As Jinyoung continued, Yugyeom swore he had never seen two people get so much pleasure from a nonsexual act in his life. Yugyeom thought Jaebum in all his cattiness, would be purring right now, had his body allowed it. Watching the blade of the razor draw down Jaebum’s skin, this was art in motion. But unlike art of the usual sort, this was over all too soon. Yugyeom found himself helping to pack everything back up before they left the river once and for all. This had been a lot better of a day than anticipated, but he couldn't help waiting for the other shoe to drop. 


	4. chapter 4; boy im holding on to something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long!! my mental health has really been in the gutter lately :(( but i hope u enjoy! plz comment and leae kudos i run on validation

Jaebum thought this trip to the river was a worse idea than he had planned. In the beginning, is motives had been pure, he wanted a bath, and he figured he’d find a place for that to happen while Jinyoung had made a solo run. That was another thing. They  _ always _ made their runs together, then all of the sudden Jinyoung seemed to want nothing to do with him. But he had brushed it off then, choosing to focus his energy on finding a body of water. Within an hour of Jinyoung being gone he had found a river. He decided to wait to go in until Jinyoung was there, hoping he could convince him to go in with him. 

Instead, what had happened was him returning to the camp, waiting for Jinyoung to call out his codename (apricot) so that he knew he was safe and not being followed. They hadn’t had much use for these codenames until recently, due to them always being together. If one of them was being followed, they both were. But even after waiting a few hours, there was no sign of him. Jaebum was so  _ afraid _ then, he had even risked their cover to call out into the plains. First, he had tried with codenames.  _ Peach! Peach? Please!  _ He had screamed until his throat went hoarse and tears ran down his cheeks. He had laid down then, trying to formulate a plan. 

Jinyoung had left him with a gun. If he left for real, if he hadn’t just lost track of the time, and he wasn’t back by dawn tomorrow Jaebum would take the gun and shoot himself in the head. As he turned over the idea in his head he was struck by how distantly and undauntedly he was planning to blow his brains out. He didn’t really have any reason to be afraid, really. Jinyoung was all he had to live for, and without him, he might as well just die. 

But as willing as he was to end it, it never came to that. Jinyoung had come back, with who Jaebum assumed would be a hostage in tow. Yugyeom had become, over the span of about a day, more like Jinyoung’s second in command than his hostage. A cloud of resentment had hovered over him since Jinyoung’s return and Yugyeom’s arrival, and he is the first to admit he hadn't been welcoming to the latter. He had lashed out, making snide comments, contradicted everything he said, and attempting to monopolize Jinyoung’s attention. This turned out to be an experience similar to grasping at straws. 

The only time he had gotten close was when he had shared a bedroll with him, forcing Yugyeom to sleep by himself. As the evening had wound down he had approached Jinyoung, bringing up sleeping arrangements under the pretense of courtesy towards Yugyeom. 

“I just don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable, especially considering how we’ve known each other much longer than he’s known us.”  Jinyoung seemed skeptical but agreed nonetheless. 

As the prepared to tuck in for the night, Jaebum felt a strange sense of anticipation.  _ God,  _ he hoped so desperately this would work. If it didn’t he’d have to move to more serious measures. 

He got into the bedroll first, putting up a mask of nonchalance. His heart thudded heavily in his chest, making him fear it would jump right out when Jinyoung crawled into the bedroll behind him. They hadn’t had to sleep like this in years, and Jaebum found that Jinyoung made him feel  _ small _ like this. As he hesitantly looped his arms around Jaebum’s waist he felt all the tension melt out of his body. He fell asleep easier with Jinyoung than he had in years. 

He almost wished he hadn’t, though, because as soon as he was unconscious his mind fell into an abyss of terror and trauma. 

He had been abandoned by his mother when he was young, only thirteen or fourteen. She had fallen victim to addiction by then, hooked on the opiates brought from overseas. His father had never been in the picture, and when his mother was around she made sure to remind him that he was the reason his father had left, and she’d never love him because of it. When she had abandoned him it had seemingly been out of nowhere. One day she was attempting to cave in his skull, the next telling him to pack a bag because they were going on a trip. 

But he’d had nothing to pack, and the trip ended up being exclusive to only her. He had only gotten as far as the next town. When they arrived they had beelined right to a small building with a sign reading “Amour et Luxure.” Something about the building was very unsettling to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it until they were inside. There were no windows. 

They were greeted by a woman when they entered, rouge applied over generously in a way that made her seem desperate. 

“ _ Hello there,”  _ she lilted. “Who is this? He seems a little young to be doing business in our fine establishment, but if you’re a paying customer…” she trailed off, looking pointedly at Jaebum’s mother. 

“No, I’m afraid that won’t be the type of business we’re doing today. May I speak to you in private away from my son?” The woman nodded leading Jaebum to a small, dimly lit kitchen. He watched her and his mother fade from sight, fidgeting nervously where he sat a modest table. That was the last time he ever saw her. 

She had left him there, no _ , sold him  _ there in that brothel. And nothing,  _ nothing _ could ever make him forget his first months there, the sensations of unwanted fingertips trailing over his skin when they “evaluated” him, the hungry rumble in his stomach when they had refused to feed him because he hadn’t attracted enough customers, the pain of knowing he had been left behind like someone’s old garbage. 

They had called him their little masterpiece, to be seen and not touched. It was a small mercy, though it didn’t feel that way at the time. His fellow prostitutes had no such rules though, doing what they please to him. He had taken  _ years _ of this, nearly six of them before he smartened up enough to run away. 

It was difficult and he almost went back a few times, bouncing between odd-jobs at various farms. Eventually, he ended up applying for a job with the Pony Express, where he met Jinyoung. They had grown closer then, and for a while, he was nightmare free. 

But recently, tonight, his nightmares had come back in earnest. That led him to where he was now, unwillingly reflecting on his times before Jinyoung and hoping that the times with him would continue. They  _ had  _ to, he’d do anything. 

And with that final desperate thought, he closed his eyes, hoping he may still get some untainted sleep out of this night. 


	5. chapter 5; won't let go of you for nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay heres the point at which everything starts going wrong!!! very sexy

It had been four days since they had begun traveling to the next town, and about three-quarters of that was spent antagonizing Yugyeom in an attempt to get him to snap. It seemed to be backfiring, though, because every time Jaebum bothered Yugyeom he sought out Jinyoung for comfort; in the process separating Jaebum and Jinyoung. And Jaebum hadn’t stuck through thick and thin with him, suffered by Jinyoung’s hand, just for a too-cozy sheriff to take it all away from him. 

So today, he’d up the ante. Jaebum knew he’d be getting hurt, the plan rode on it. To Jinyoung everything else done by Yugyeom would be taken sitting down. Jaebum needed Jinyoung to realize that Yugyeom was not what he thought him to be, that Yugyeom would hurt Jaebum, the most important person in Jinyoung’s life. But he had to do it fast before even that became untrue. He began to push his plan into action.

 Jaebum had encouraged Jinyoung to go a couple of miles ahead of them on his horse while Jaebum and Yugyeom took turns on Jaebum’s. Jinyoung, having no major reasons to suspect anything else would happen, agreed. This is where the hard part began. Jaebum had already been giving Yugyeom the most shit that he could, heckling him, putting dirt on his things, pulling Jinyoung away from him when he could, and Yugyeom still hadn’t gotten angry enough to snap. He’d have to try something else. 

The moment Jinyoung was only a hazy spot against the horizon, Jaebum struck. He was on the horse, and Yugyeom walked slightly in front of him and to the side.

“I hope you’re ready to leave because we’re going to drop you off and never look back.” Yugyeom stared up at him petulantly. 

“That’s not true, Jinyoung said he might not give me back at all. He said I’m much more open than you, much easier to deal with.” The floor seemed to drop out from under Jaebum’s feet. Had Jinyoung really said those things about him? As if he was just some step down from Yugyeom like he was a placeholder? Or maybe, he thought to himself, maybe Yugyeom was just lying to upset Jaebum. That seemed more likely. 

“Pff, okay kid, sure. Remember that when you’re all alone in the next town over just waiting for your little sheriff friend to come pick you up.” Yugyeom seemed unimpressed. 

“If you say so. It doesn’t really matter what you say to me because you’re going to get replaced anyways. Don’t think I didn’t notice that he left you behind when he hit that bank. You know why? Because you’re useless. He was just waiting for something to happen so he could leave you. I bet he’s been distancing himself from you lately, huh?” He  _ had _ been strangely closed off lately, electing to only speak to Jaebum when it was dire. 

Maybe Yugyeom was right. Then what was his course of action? He couldn’t let go of Jinyoung without a fight. He drew his gun, pushing himself off his horse in a fluid motion. 

In their conflict, neither notice that there were people in the distance growing larger by the minute. Though one supposes people in the distancing don’t seem all that pressing when you have a gun pointed at you, and pressing in a different sense, Jaebum’s gun against Yugyeom’s cheek. Yugyeom still seemed unimpressed, perhaps due to the multiple inches he had on Jaebum. Jaebum took a deep breath and spoke. 

“Take it back.” This was met only with a smirk on Yugyeom’s part.

“Or what? What will you do to me?” 

“I’ll- I’ll shoot you.” He was bluffing. Jaebum had never shot another person, and the only animal he’d ever shot was a horse in the Pony Express, to put it out of its misery, and even then he had cried for hours. There was no way he could shoot Yugyeom, and thanks to the waver in his voice, Yugyeom knew that too. 

Yugyeom darted towards him with deadly precision, hands finding his wrist to twist the gun out of his grip. Their chests rose and fell as they faced each other, Yugyeom slowly raising the gun so it was aligned with Jaebum’s temple. Jaebum let out a whimper.  _ He  _ had never shot anyone because Jinyoung had always taken care of it for him, but he had no such assurance with Yugyeom. Yugyeom might just shoot him dead where he stands, and it wouldn’t even be surprising, not in the slightest. He had to  _ do something. _

He threw himself at Yugyeom with enough force to send both of them rolling on the ground. As they wrestled for the gun Yugyeom landed a good hit, rolling himself on top of Jaebum while he recovered in wheezing gasps from the knee to his stomach. He sat straddling Jaebum's hips, the gun pointed at his forehead. As a last-ditch effort, Jaebum bucked up his hips and twisted, throwing Yugyeom off balance. He kicked at Yugyeom as they rolled, attempting to- 

_ BANG _

Jaebum’s ears rang as he dizzily blinked up at Yugyeom. The gun, Yugyeom must have pulled the trigger when he was falling. He tried to compose himself enough to see if he or Yugyeom had gotten hit. 

Yugyeom was sat about a foot away, holding the smoking gun loosely in his hand. Jaebum let out a breath of relief at the fact that he seemed unharmed. The ringing in his ears persisted. They stared each other down, both daring the other to make a move but neither accepting the challenge. Instead, they sat, and Jaebum let the ringing in his ears propel him to numbness. They sat for what could have been ten minutes or an hour, their trance only broken by the sound of hooves striking hard and fast against the ground. 

Jaebum looked up to see Jinyoung dismounting his horse, his face anxious. Jaebum prepared himself for the onslaught of mother-henning that was always performed by Jinyoung when Jaebum was within fifty feet of something mildly dangerous. He closed his eyes and waited a moment. Then two. He opened his eyes again only to find Jinyoung kneeling in front of  _ Yugyeom. _ Oh. Jaebum just sat, staring at a distant spot over Yugyeom’s shoulder, until once again the sound of hooves on the dirt broke him out of it. When he looked up this time, the faces were unfamiliar. What wasn’t unfamiliar was the shiny badges on their chests. Sheriffs. 

“Everything alright here gentlemen?” Jinyoung smile charmingly. 

“Yessir, one of my boys over here just accidentally fired his gun, he’s a little ill and it makes his hands shake like a water tower in an earthquake.” The sheriff seemed unconvinced and his eyes kept darting down to Jaebum’s thigh.  

“Oh is that all?” Jinyoung’s smile seemed more forced.

“Yessir, you can go on your merry way, we’ve got it handled here.” The sheriffs hesitated, but the need to do anything other than their job eventually won out, and within the quarter hour they were out of sight. Jinyoung waited a few more minutes after that before turning to Jaebum. His gaze was cold and angry. 

“What,” he began, his voice deadly soft against the ringing in his ears, “the  _ fuck _ were you thinking? You think that you can just get mad and fucking shoot Yugyeom because- what? You aren’t getting enough attention is that it?” He glowered at Jaebum expectantly. 

“No Jinyoung, I never meant to-” 

“It doesn’t matter what you meant because do you know who almost got us? Who would have had our necks lined with rope necklaces if I hadn’t thought on my feet? Sheriffs, Jaebum. They were sheriffs, and you would  _ think  _ that it would be the sheriff that rats me out, that almost gets us caught and hung, but  _ no.  _ It’s  _ you _ , my trusted partner. So Jaebummie,” he leered, “what do you have to say for yourself?” Jaebum stared up at him silently, fear and anxiety mixing into an angry cocktail in his stomach. “ _ I said _ , what do you have to say for yourself?  _ Speak! _ For fuck’s sake!” Jaebum only stared, letting the steady ring of his head lull him into a silent trance. This only seemed to make Jinyoung angrier.

 He darted forward, the crack of his hand against Jaebum’s cheek sounding almost as loud as the gun earlier, and twice as deadly. “You stay right here, Yugyeom and I are going on a ride. I swear, if I have to keep looking at you I’m going to kill you.” he grabbed Jaebum’s knapsack off of his horse and threw it into his lap. Jaebum watched as Yugyeom mounted  _ his  _ horse, and felt a blanket of indifference settle over top of him, repressing the hysteria that was bubbling under the surface. 

He waited until Jinyoung and was out of sight before letting his tears fall. He hadn’t cried like this in years, his shoulders shaking with the force of his sobs. Not only had he probably ruined the only friendship he had and upset the most important person in his life, he was so tired, and the ringing in his ears was persistent still, and his thigh felt like it was on fire- Wait. His thigh? He looked down at his dark chaps, finding a wet spot at the top of his thigh. He prodded it curiously only for pain to go shooting up and down his leg. He took a shaky breath before carefully wiggling out of his chaps and trousers. 

Exposed, the wound wasn’t too deep, but without the constant pressure of his chaps the bleeding had sped up, rivulets of blood dripping onto the ground. He reached for his knapsack, rustling around in the bag until he found one of his extra shirts. He carefully wrapped the shirt tight around the wound and found, once he finished that he was worryingly dizzy. He let the fuzzy comfort of unconsciousness take him, hoping Jinyoung would be waiting when he awoke. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if u liked plz comment :D Validate Me or Else


	6. chapter 6; i die every night with you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh brother this guy STINKS (sorry jaeb) plz comment im gay

For the first time in recent memory, when Jaebum awoke, Jinyoung was nowhere to be found. He sat up groggily, trying to get a comprehensive grip on his surroundings. It was dark, so he must have been out for a while. All at once he was hit by a wave of overwhelming pain. His leg. The wound had bled through the makeshift tourniquet, leaving a large dark stain on it. He figured he should probably change the bindings, lest he risk infection. 

He reached into his bag for another shirt, finding a relatively clean one and deciding it would do. He began untying the soiled shirt, finding that blood had glued it to his skin. He gave a soft tug, hoping it would come up. It didn’t. He tried to suppress his rising panic, his hands trembling with fatigue and anxiety. What would release the grip of the blood? Perhaps he could use his water. He managed to drag himself the few feet to the spot where his water had fallen from his bag when Jinyoung had thrown it off his horse. At least he wasn’t cruel enough to deny him this small mercy. 

He poured the water onto the tourniquet, wondering if he should do it more strategically, but eventually deciding against it. He gritted his teeth against the sting of the water. He waited a few moments before attempting to get the bandage off. Shocks of pain pulsed up and down his body, but he kept pulling, even as his vision began to fade around the edges. The world began to spin and he looked down to find that the bleeding had resumed, but he was luckily free of the soiled shirt. He glanced at the clean one next to him, wondering if he should even put it on. He decided against it. He’d rather bleed out then go through the process of removing the bandaging again. Now he struggled with the decision of what to do next. 

He knew he couldn’t stay. He’d never seen Jinyoung upset enough at him to yell at him, let alone hit him. He’d be surprised if Jinyoung ever wanted to see him again, not to mention travel the West with him. And he wasn’t stupid, he knew if he stayed here with his leg the way it was, his survival rate was low. And no matter how much Jinyoung hated him at this point, Jaebum knew him well enough to know he’d still never forgive himself if he returned and found his body.

He had to get out of here. He felt a little guilty thinking of leaving without any warning, and even though he doubted Jinyoung would care, he decided to leave a note. He pulled out his graphite pencil and a semi-crumpled piece of paper. He sat for a couple minutes trying to collect his thoughts into some sort of coherent message. Eventually, he just decided to keep it simple. The note read: 

_ Dearest Jinyoung, I’m so sorry for the way I acted and the problems I caused. I beg your forgiveness. I’m leaving so you can be alone with Yugyeom like you wanted. Please don’t look for me.  _

He supposed that would do, but something was lacking. It seemed a little insincere, and cold. He paused for a moment before tacking an  _ I love you  _ to the end. It felt very large to even write it, considering he hadn’t ever been able to say it. His hands were still shaking as he placed the note under a rock. He pulled himself to his feet with a struggle, trying to judge how much weight he could out on his bad leg, the answer was not much. He collected all his belongings stuffing them into his riding bag before consulting his map to find the closest town. Only about a mile, which shouldn’t take more than half of the hour. He checked his compass, before hobbling off in the instructed direction. 

When he had calculated how long it would take for him to make it to town, he hadn’t taken into consideration his bad leg, and the heavy limp it cause. It ended up taking him the full hour, which in hindsight, was not nearly as bad as it could have been. 

He did end up making it to town in one piece, despite the persistent pounding in his head. He stumbled his way to the saloon, nearly falling as he entered. The saloon was not full, but it was far from empty. He willed himself to be courageous, and managed to step onto one of the chairs with some semblance of balance. His hands still shook.

“Excuse me,” he began, raising his voice over the din of the saloon. “If any of you would be willing, I’d like to leave town. In exchange for taking me I will work for you for as long as you provide me the bare necessities.” He felt himself sway, nearly falling off his perch. “Thank you, that will be all.” 

The room had gone dead silent. A gentle voice broke the silence. “I’ll take you boy, get down from there.” Jaebum stared at the woman who had spoken as he clambered off the chair. She looked to be about fifty, and she was well built, evidence of a life spent working. She looked like what Jaebum imagined a mother should look like, stern looking, but not cruel. Hardworking and kind.

He learned, as she helped him into her wagon, that her name was Mary. She had kids once, but none had lived past their teens. They’d be around his age, she had said. On top of that, she was a widow, her husband passing away a few months ago, and though she could deal with the work that left her, she had a hard time coping with the loneliness he left in his wake. 

She had explained to him that his role within the house wouldn’t exceed simple household chores, more than anything she just wanted companionship. At this point, they had been en route to her house for about thirty minutes, and Jaebum’s exhaustion was finally catching up to him. Mary seemed to hear it in his voice, telling him,  _ its okay dearie, get some rest, I’ll wake you when we arrive.  _

As it turned out, upon their arrival she chose not to wake him, simply carrying him inside and into one of the now vacant rooms of her home. He slept, for the first time in a while, with no dreams to disturb him. 


End file.
